How do you know which color is right for your home? Choosing paint colors can be very difficult with the hundreds of options from which you have to choose. Our recommendation? Always get samples first. You’d be surprised how different a color can look in your home vs on a swatch. Always ALWAYS paint a small patch in several different locations. Paint it in the brightest room and the darkest room. How does it look in the daylight? How does it look in a room with LED light or fluorescent light? You may love how it looks in one room and think it’s too dark in another.
The whitest white will always be the unopened gallon with no other hues mixed in. At Sherwin Williams, for example, this is Extra White. It is great in flat finish for ceilings or in a semi-gloss for doors and trims. For the walls, if you are looking for a cooler white, you might like Pure White or Ceiling Bright White. If you want a warmer white, check out Simply White, Panda White, or Dover White.
Right now grays are also hugely popular. Our go-to for gray is Campfire Ash. It has yellow undertones so it makes any space feel warm. It is easy to love a gray in store only to find it looks more blue or purple when you put it on the walls. If this is a concern, you can ask for a color’s formula to help you make your sample choices. Another common mistake is choosing grays that look too dark once they’re on the walls. If you are looking for a nice light gray, you may actually want to look in the “whites” section rather than the “grays”. One example would be Site White. It looks just gray enough to contrast your white trims. Some of our other favorite grays are Repose Gray, Agreeable Gray, and Dorian Gray. On walls we typically use an eggshell finish, which we find is best for masking imperfections.
Once you have tested your samples and determined which colors work best in your space, it is well worth it to buy quality paint. If you are painting new drywall or a light color on a previously dark wall, it is always advised to start with a coat of primer. Using quality paints and primer will reduce the number of coats you need and helps ensure you get a nice, even coverage. Paint is one of the easiest ways to remodel a space so make sure it complements the other design elements of your home and have fun with it!